The Heart of Jesus’ Ethic: Beyond Human History
As I sat in the library reading The Good Kill: Just War and Moral Injury by Marc Livecche I wrote a question in my notebook: What do Christian theologians say to the warriors who are morally, spiritually and psychologically injured as a result of war? I also wrote down the following questions:
- What is moral injury?
- What is just war?
- How could something be both immoral and necessary?
- Does it matter what in bello ethical framework means?
In full disclosure, I have little to no knowledge or experience with war or war veterans; my family has no background in the military; as I write this blog, I am still learning and asking questions.
In The Good Kill, Livecche brings home a basic truth that war will remain a “human contest of national wills and policy, but one still fought by warriors who are human beings before they are combatants.”[1] The more I read, the more strongly I heard the author’s overall thesis of proposing the future of ethics relating to war. Yet, I also heard his profound empathy for the soldier, the warrior, the one whose character holds the victory and the guilt. Or as Christian political thinker Reinhold Niebhur wrote, “[They] strive for restoration for the broken places of our world and entangle [themselves] in webs of sin–as [they] perform acts of necessary evil in search of justice.”[2]
- What is Moral Injury?
Livecche quotes Jonathan Shay’s view of moral injury comprising three elements: 1) The betrayal of what is right 2) by someone who holds legitimate authority 3) in a high-stake situation.[3] When these elements are present, the warrior’s body codes what happened–of which we are swiftly reminded of Bessel van der Kolk’s The Body Keeps the Score,[4] who opens the first chapter describing his counseling groups of deeply troubled veterans struggling from memories. To read in detail the price human beings pay for moral injury is the undoing of the sensitive mind. We call this “moral” or “ethical” injury. Must a political leader or military leader who wants to govern effectively be prepared to behave immorally?
- What is the Correlation Between Moral Injury and Dirty Hands?
These questions are often discussed under the title, “dirty hands” from Jean-Paul Satre’s play Les Mains sales. Although written sarcastically, Sartre’s characters are distasteful and poorly represent what the term “Dirty hands” means in leadership literature. The problem of dirty hands concerns the leader who for the sake of public purposes violates moral principles.[5] I became very curious about the correlation between dirty hands and moral injury. In fact, I was experiencing the tension of holding both the wounded warrior and the immoral leader together in my mind–are we talking about a soldier’s moral injury or a leader’s unethical choices?
Believe it or not, it was Max Weber’s essay, “Politics as a Vocation” that provided some relevance to my questions. Weber doesn’t just say, “You are going to have to get your hands dirty, so be prepared to live with that.” Instead he explores a distinctive political ethic that he calls the “ethic of responsibility” that should govern the behavior of political leaders, which he distinguishes from ‘an ethic of ultimate ends’ that guides some individuals in their personal moral choices.”[6] Weber takes this further by saying that no ethics in the world can dodge the fact that someone must be willing to pay the price of using morally dangerous means that will result in evil ramifications. In chapter 2 of The Good Kill, LiVecche notes that military leaders will have moral regret for they cannot remain pure in a difficult and dangerous world.[7]
- What Might a Christian Theologian Say to the Warriors Injured By War?
Last October, our pastor offered a lecture series titled, Violence and the Bible.8 Quoting from Deuteronomy 7:2, Pastor Adam McMurray presented an inductive argument for the problem that in the Old Testament, God is sanctioning the violence. Citing atrocities from the religious conquests and the 100 million indigenous people who were displaced in the Americas, Adam laid before his audience optional ways to respond. He said we could ignore it, accept it, spiritualize it, or reject it. Then he offered a balanced, biblical response of humanity, God and Scripture.
Without reviewing his entire lecture, I thought it was profound where he started: He said we must begin with a clear picture of the nature and character of God:
He is Absolute Goodness and He is Absolute Wisdom.
As I continue moving through Holy Week, my heart and mind are still focused on the absurd violence the Prince of Peace experienced. The injuries He endured are anti-creation, anti-life. Yet because God is Absolute Goodness and Absolute Wisdom, Shalom is now in our DNA. Shalom won.
How does the Truth about God’s Goodness and Wisdom bring healing to a human being who suffers from war? I do not know. What I do know is that the heart of Jesus’ Ethic is beyond my thinking and beyond human history.
[1] LiVecche, Marc, and Timothy S. Mallard. The Good Kill: Just War and Moral Injury. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2021.
[2] P. 43
[3] P. 25
[4] M.D, Bessel van der Kolk. The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma. Reprint edition. New York, NY: Penguin Publishing Group, 2015.
[5] Ciulla, Joanne B. “Ethics, the Heart of Leadership.” Santa Barbara, California: Praeger, 2014.
[6] Weber, Max. “POLITICS AS A VOCATION,” n.d.
[7] LiVecche, Marc, and Timothy S. Mallard. The Good Kill: Just War and Moral Injury. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2021. P.43.
[8] Adam McMurray. Pastor Riverwest Church https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0u9REnrqLlk.
About the Author
Pam Lau
Pamela Havey Lau brings more than 25 years of experience in speaking, teaching, writing and mediating. She has led a variety of groups, both small and large, in seminars, trainings, conferences and teachings. Pam’s passion is to see each person communicate with their most authentic voice with a transparent faith in Jesus Christ. With more than 10, 000 hours of writing, researching, and teaching the heart and soul of Pam’s calling comes from decades of walking alongside those who have experienced healing through pain and peace through conflict. As a professor and author, Pam deeply understands the role of mentoring and building bridges from one generation to another. She has developed a wisdom in how to connect leaders with their teams. Her skill in facilitating conversations extends across differences in families, businesses, schools, universities, and nonprofits. Pam specializes in simplifying complex issues and as a business owner, has helped numerous CEOs and leaders communicate effectively. She is the author of Soul Strength (Random House) and A Friend in Me (David C. Cook) and is a frequent contributor to online and print publications. You can hear Pam’s podcast on Real Life with Pamela Lau on itunes. Currently, Pam is a mediator for families, churches, and nonprofits. You can contact Pam through her website: PamelaLau.com. Brad and Pam live in Newberg, Oregon; they have three adult daughters and one son-in-law. One small, vocal dog, Cali lives in the family home where she tries to be the boss! As a family they enjoy worshiping God, tennis, good food and spending time with family and friends.11 responses to “The Heart of Jesus’ Ethic: Beyond Human History”
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Thanks for your thoughts, Pam. I hear you wrestling with, at least in part, the tricky balance of what ‘should’ be (ideal) and what is (reality)….or in theological terms, the tension between the Kingdom that has come, but has not yet come fully. And the question: how do we live in the ‘messy middle’.
Are there ‘necessary evils’ that we have to put up with (and participate in) because this world is broken and imperfect?
Or the positive way to say it, “Is this the most loving option available, but still regrettable.”
I think most of us live into this tension more naturally leaning towards an ‘idealist’ or ‘realist’ side, and we need one another to think, decide, and act well as we live in the tension of the ‘already-but-not-fully’ Kingdom of God.
That make any sense to you?
Scott,
I think you translated for me what I was wrestling with as I read this book–thank you! You are right when you say, “I think most of us live into this tension more naturally leaning towards an ‘idealist’ or ‘realist’ side, and we need one another to think, decide, and act well as we live in the tension of the ‘already-but-not-fully’ Kingdom of God.”
I am unsure of what I think in this area and that’s a sad inditement to my lack of attention on war, violence, and God’s purposes in it. The war in Israel and the Middle East has me reeling with the tension that, at times, makes me speechless. Where is God’s Kingdom in the midst of it? What are we to do as people of the Kingdom? It’s so complex.
Thank you for reading my thoughts and interpreting them for me! Yes! We do need each other along this road.
Hi Pam, You wrote, “Pastor Adam McMurray presented an inductive argument for the problem that in the Old Testament, God is sanctioning the violence….. He said we could ignore it, accept it, spiritualize it, or reject it. Then he offered a balanced, biblical response of humanity, God and Scripture.
The idea of God sanctioned violence is a troubling one. One supposes that in his great wisdom that his sanctioned violence has some higher purpose.
Is the current war in Gaza a product of the failure of the Jews to take the lands they were promised?
Their failure set the conditions for the suffering today….Something I must ponder.
Thanks for your thoughts.
Shalom…
Russell~
Thank you for reading my thoughts on an issue I know very little what I think. You ask a profound question:
“Is the current war in Gaza a product of the failure of the Jews to take the lands they were promised?”
The irony of your question is, depending on who you ask, people disagree who the land belongs to– Like you, I have much to think about. My brother, who is an Israeli citizen, keeps asking me for my perspective and opinion. Must I come to a solid one? Like Scott said in his comments to this blogpost, don’t we continue to live in the tension of The Kingdom coming? The now and the Not Yet? I am afraid I must do my research and know what my mind thinks. I appreciate your words and questions and attitude!
Great Post Pam- your thinking surfaced a few thoughts:
– Your quote “we must begin with a clear picture of the nature and character of God: He is Absolute Goodness and He is Absolute Wisdom…” is, of course, the proper place to start. We are not supposed to navigate these conundrums on our own understanding, which leads me to my second thought:
– Where do we see Biblical examples of Godly leaders deciding for a political state how to respond to threats? Really it’s only in the Old Testament. So, can we use the examples of David, or Moses to guide this conversation? Is it relevant in our Post-Christian society?
– If we are going to use the Old Testament examples as a guide, then do we move more to the idea of a Holy War theory (the idea that war is valid if God has told you to do it – if I remember my undergraduate teachings correctly), which, in my mind, gets a little tenuous.
Still more unpacking to do, but you inspired many more angles for me to think through. Thank you for centering us back to Christ on this!
Jen~ You asked: ” Where do we see Biblical examples of Godly leaders deciding for a political state how to respond to threats? Really it’s only in the Old Testament. So, can we use the examples of David, or Moses to guide this conversation? Is it relevant in our Post-Christian society?”
It’s fascinating that you would ask this question because I didn’t have room in my blog to add a piece I wanted to say. We often hear people call the God of the Old Testament angry; yet, I believe the God of the OT is the same God of the NT. So what’s the contradiction? Years ago (like 21 years!!!) I wrote book on Joshua and as I read it slowly over the year I wrote my book, I noticed how easily it was to take the words out of context. For example, the author used a lot of ancient warfare rhetoric to describe military strongholds. God commanded the Israelites to take down the military strongholds, not the civilian centers. What I learned in that season of studying the book of Joshua was I had to keep the immediate context in mind alongside of God’s entire redemptive historical context.
So, I believe, to answer your question, Yes! We can use those OT examples for today but we must keep the immediate context in mind alongside God’s entire redemptive historical context. What are your thoughts?
Great post Pam, you even brought divine violence into the conversation. This has been and I believe continues to be a major sticking point for those exploring faith or making sense of the Bible in the 21st century. It seems some Christian leaders require people to do some major mental gymnastics to justify some of the events depicted in Scripture. I like that your pastor encouraged the congregation to begin with God’s character and go from there.
Adam,
Thank you for your comments. How do you teach on some of the OT passages that talk about this kind of war? I realize that’s a broad question but I guess what I am asking is do you try to explain it? Do you tie it back to a Holy God? I am curious–especially in light of people’s struggles with this issue–it’s real!
Ha, Pam, you are right, that is a big question which leads into all kinds of doctrines around the Bible. In seminary we engaged various ideas from these stories were literal/historical events that happened exactly as depicted to these passages (with a lot of divine violence) being a mixture of historical memory, narrative, ancient theology and worldviews. At our church we explore both of these options and discuss why scholarship falls in various categories. This is a big part of my NPO! Exploring other valid options has been really helpful for certain people in our faith community.
Pam.
This is a great post. I really appreciate the way you organized your analysis of the major points of the book. You wrote: ” How does the Truth about God’s Goodness and Wisdom bring healing to a human being who suffers from war? I do not know. What I do know is that the heart of Jesus’ Ethic is beyond my thinking and beyond human history. ” I agree wholehearted with your concluding statement and do not have an answer for the question. I know that I believe that, “He is Absolute Goodness and He is Absolute Wisdom” and that without him there is no path to healing.
Thank you for your response, Jonita~ This was a difficult read and I am curious what this morning will bring as we interact with the author, Marc.